Body Fat Testing

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Body Fat Testing

• When it comes to tracking weight loss, most of us
  rely on the scale to tell us whether we've lost
  or gained weight. But, as people are fast
  learning, this isn't the best way to keep track
  of your weight. A scale measures everything
  including muscle, fat, bones, and what you ate or
  drank that day. It doesn't tell you what you
  really need to know how much fat do you have?

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Body Fat Testing

• Body composition is simply the ratio of lean body
  mass to fat body mass. Too much fat can lead to
  health problems like heart disease, diabetes,
  high cholesterol and other serious conditions. If
  you keep your body fat within a reasonable level,
  you'll be healthier and, of course, slimmer.

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Body Fat Testing

• For women, a body fat of 10-12 is essential,
  14-20 is considered a healthy range for
  athletes, 21-24 is healthy for fitness, 25-31
  is considered an 'acceptable' range and anything
  above 32 is considered obese.

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Body Fat Testing

• For men, 2-4 body fat is essential, 6-13 is an
  athletic body fat range, 14-17 is considered a
  'fit' range, and 18-25 is acceptable. Anything
  above 26 for men is considered obese.

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Body Fat Testing

• Most physiologists use simple skinfold
  measurements to determine body fat percent. The
  American College of Sports Medicine says that
  when performed by a trained, skilled, tester,
  they are up to 98 accurate.

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Body Fat Testing

• In order to obtain the most accurate skinfold
  measurements, they should always be performed by
  the same technician. Also, the same protocol and
  calipers should always be used.
• Follow the selected protocol exactly, and do not
  measure skinfolds after exercise because the
  shift in body fluid to the skin tends to increase
  the size of the skinfolds.
• If you are new at measuring skinfolds, practice
  at least 100 times.

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Body Fat Testing

• To measure body fat with skinfold calipers you
  will take 3 measurements on your upper, middle,
  and lower parts of your body.
• For females, you will take measurements on the
  triceps, waist (suprailiac), and thigh.

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Body Fat Testing

• For males, you will take measurements on the
  chest, abdomen, and thigh.

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Body Fat Testing
The American Council on Exercise has categorized
ranges of body fat percentages as follows
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Body Fat Testing

• It is unclear whether any of these body fat
  percentages are better for your health than any
  others but there are definitely enhancements in
  athletic performance as you near the ideal body
  fat percentage range for your particular sport.

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Body Fat Testing

• To increase or decrease your percent of body fat
  you need to create the right balance between the
  calories in and calories out. The best way to do
  this is to decrease daily calories by about 500
  and increase your exercise. Aerobic exercise
  along with strength training is ideal. If you are
  beginning a new exercise program, you are advised
  to first consult your physician.